Wild rice not only imparts a wonderful nutty flavor to dishes, but the color also adds a beautiful contrast to any meal. While not directly related to the same type of rice we normally think of, it acts much the same way in cooking and consistency. Infused with chicken broth and the addition of slightly sweet cranberries and makes this Wild Rice Pilaf a desirable side dish at any holiday get together.
*Now in order to be completely honest with you….my husband Todd was not a fan of this dish. Then again, he’s not a fan of anything that has both savory and sweet notes of flavor. It’s also been duly noted that he does not want me to make this for dinner again. So I guess I’ll have to make it for lunch where I can eat it all myself as I enjoyed it quite a bit!
*also – what the heck is a “pilaf”? Basically, it just means a rice dish cooked with broth and seasonings.
Wild Rice Cranberry Pilaf
In a 3+ quart saucepan, melt butter and saute onions until softened. Add the 2 cups of rice and stir until well combined.
So pretty already isn’t it?
Add in the seasonings, bay leaf, and cranberries as well as the chicken broth, heat until simmering.
From here you can cover and simmer over low heat for 35 minutes or until no liquid remains, or if you need the stove-top you can pour it into a 2-quart casserole dish (covered) and bake for 45-60 minutes (in a 375-degree oven) or until liquid is absorbed. Once finished cooking, remove the bay leaf, add the chopped parsley and chopped nuts, stirring to combine.
Enjoy!!
*nourishing notes: It would be best to use a homemade chicken broth to infuse this dish with as many nutrients as possible, but you may need to adjust salt and pepper accordingly, based on the flavor of your own broth. It’s also best to soak the rice overnight in warm water so as to reduce the phytic acid and therefore increase the number of nutrients we are able to absorb. If you soak the rice, strain prior to adding to the sautéed onion and reduce the broth by one cup.
Wild Rice and Cranberry Pilaf
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries use low to no sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- pinch pepper
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- In a 3+ quart saucepan, melt butter and saute onions until softened. Add the 2 cups of rice and stir until well combined.
- Add in the seasonings, bay leaf, and cranberries as well as the chicken broth, heat until simmering.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 35 minutes or until no liquid remains, or you can pour it into a 2-quart casserole dish (covered) and bake for 45-60 minutes (in a 375-degree oven) or until liquid is absorbed.
- Once finished cooking, remove the bay leaf, add the chopped parsley and nuts, stirring to combine.
Notes
This dish is my participation in the Whole Foods for the Holidays, real food progressive dinner – side dishes.
Donielle Baker
Homemade Breakfast Sausage Patties
This sounds good! I’ll have to try it. I recently made corn bread wild rice muffins that remind me of this recipe… the flavors go well together!
@JusFrugal, Send me the recipe for the muffins? 🙂 donielle at naturallyknockedup.com
This is a great recipe! I am so glad that I found your site – very much inline with my cooking style. I’m only sad I didn’t find it earlier to participate in the Progressive Dinner!!
@MarocMama, If you have recipes, you can go ahead and link them up at anytime during the event!
If I want to bake the wild rice pilaf @ what temperature?
@Lee, Doh! Bake at 375 degrees! Thanks for pointing that out – I’ll go make sure to add it into the post now.
In this wild rice pilaf/cranberries recipe-you dont say how many servings-I see the 3 qt dish- but….thanks for help! Charlene Bethlehem, PA
@Charlene S., I would say 6-8 servings as a side dish!